Macomb County courthouse institution, Otis, dies at 96

The mood was somber at the county courthouse Wednesday after employees learned that the beloved, inspirational “Otis the shoeshine man” had passed away.

Otis Hopson, 96, died at a rehabilitation facility in Livonia after he was hospitalized in early March.

“It’s a huge loss,” said Clerk Carmella Sabaugh. “He’ll never be replaced. He’s going to be sorely missed. He was a wonderful man.”

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“I couldn’t stop crying this morning,” said Robinette O’Neal, a deputy clerk who was given away by Otis at her 2008 wedding. “When I think about it, it saddens me. But I know that he’s in a better place now. He’s been suffering for a few months.” Even though he was bedridden, “You couldn’t tell he was sick. He was his happy, jovial self,” she said.

Hopson shined shoes at a wooden bench stand in the courthouse lobby in downtown Mount Clemens for 21 years. He was known for ending a shine with a James Brown-like, “Oooow,” and a snap of the cloth.

Employee Becky Messerli said she regularly brought a “bag of shoes” from home for him to polish.

But he was known for a lot more than spiffing up footwear. He also became a fixture and an institution. He played the harmonica for workers’ birthdays, told stories, gave advice, praised God, quoted the Bible and joked and prayed with anyone who needed it or stopped by to visit or get a shine.

He became so beloved that County Executive Mark Hackel in May 2012 gave the name “Otis” to one of two peregrine falcon chicks born on a perch on the 11th floor of the old County Building.

Hackel said Wednesday on his Facebook page: “Aside from being one of the most recognized people at the Macomb County Courthouse for decades, Otis Hopson had to be one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. He was always very happy, and uplifting. His absence at the courthouse has been noted by many, but he will be missed by all as a result of his passing.”

Lawyer Craig Tank said Otis has been shining his shoes for the past 15 to 17 years, beginning when Tank was an intern.

“He was without question one of the most dignified men I have ever met,” Tank said. “He was cool.”

“He wold pray with me; he would pray with everyone,” Sabaugh said. “He helped me when I first came to the Clerk’s Office and it was a little hostile. He said to keep smiling and don’t worry about it because angels were on my side.”

His favorite advice was, “The secret to a happy life is JOY: Jesus Others Yourself.”

“His stories were fascinating,” said Messerli, who brought her young son, Wesley, to visit Otis several times. “He told the sweetest stories. He lived his whole life for Jesus. He talked about the time he would be going to heaven and get to meet him.”

Drinking a cup of cider vinegar every day was one of Otis’ secrets to long life, Messerli said.

Hopson was on the job every weekday until two years ago when declining health forced him to leave. He returned for a November 2012 celebration for him and vowed to return to shoeshining but wasn’t able to do so.

He moved from Kentucky to Mount Clemens at 5 so his father could escape a coal-miner’s life and join relatives in the area. They arrived in 1923 at the Detroit Train Depot and traveled by a Model T truck over a wagon trail that is now Gratiot Avenue.

He was a schoolmate of retired Macomb Circuit judge George Steeh. He worked for Chrysler for many years.

He told stories of hopping trains to Kalamazoo as a teenager. He said he avoided trouble from police one time by playing the harmonica.

He described underground tunnels in Mount Clemens used by Prohibition-evaders in the 1920s and early 30s.

He planted pine trees in the Cadillac area working for a Depression-era government agency. “I’m from Traverse City, and every time I drive by those pine trees, I say, ‘Those are Otis’ trees,’” said attorney Roberta Sarkis.

In 2011, harmonica player Mario Rodriguez joined Hopson for a couple hours of playing together at the courthouse.

Hopson lived in the county seat until two years ago, when he moved in with his daughter, Donnie Barnes, of Detroit.

Kim Cady, Sabaugh’s executive administrative assistant, said that a tribute to Otis will be set up in the lobby for people to view and donate for his medical and funeral expenses.

A funeral service will be held 10 a.m. May 2 at First Presbyterian Church, 168 Cass Ave., Mount Clemens. Visitation is scheduled for noon to 8 p.m. next Thursday at United Memorial Funeral Home, 75 Dickinson St., Mount Clemens, according to the funeral home web site.

About the Author

My beat is the courts of Macomb County and general assignment.
Read more of Jameson Cook's court coverage on his blog http://courthousedish.blogspot.com/ Reach the author at jamie.cook@macombdaily.com
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